ABILENE HIGH (3-2, 2-0) AT FRENSHIP MEMORIAL (1-4, 0-2)
7 p.m. Friday, Peoples Bank Stadium, Wolfforth
VIDEO: Cooper coach Scott Stewart previews Cougars’ game with Lubbock Cooper
LUBBOCK COOPER (0-5, 0-1) AT ABILENE COOPER (3-3, 1-1)
7 p.m. Friday, Shotwell Stadium, Abilene
VIDEO: Wylie coach Clay Martin discusses home matchup with Wichita Falls Memorial
WICHITA FALLS MEMORIAL (3-3, 1-1) AT WYLIE (3-2, 1-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Hugh Sandifer Stadium, Abilene
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 7)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Albany travels to Stamford (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country picks)
LAST WEEK: 30-6, .833
SEASON TOTAL: 297-88, .771
ALBANY (4-1, 1-0) AT STAMFORD (4-2, 2-0)
Can you get two more storied programs to square off in the Big Country than Albany and Stamford?
Toss in the fact that it’s an important District 7-2A DII game while both are having successful seasons and our Big Country Preps Game of the Week is an easy choice.
Stamford’s Bill Anderson Stadium is the venue. Big Country legends Denney Faith (Albany) and Wayne Hutchinson (Stamford) are the coaches. And to the winner? A chance to challenge red-hot Goldthwaite for the district title.
FEATURE: Character, chemistry fueling Forsan’s resurgence under second-year coach Casey Thompson
As Forsan rides a six-game win streak into its District 4-2A Division I game at Ballinger on Friday, the undefeated Buffaloes are also eyeing something that didn’t seem likely at this time last season: a playoff berth.
In 2025, under then first-year coach Casey Thompson, the Buffs started 1-4 heading into district play. Then they lost their district opener.
“We had,” acknowledged Thompson, “a rough start.”
Fortunately for Forsan, there’s a very significant “but …” to add, because it was at roughly this time in the season when it became apparent to Thompson, to Forsan fans, and, especially, to the members of the Buffaloes’ roster that a corner had been turned.
The team went 3-1 over its final four regular season games, which entitled the Buffs to add another, in the playoffs, thus fulfilling a goal perhaps only Thompson envisioned as possible to achieve as the October stretch of the schedule played out.
MIKE LEE’S WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Hardin-Simmons ‘Player of the Week’ trio all from Big Country
Note: If you know of a former Big Country Prep athlete now performing in college or professional sports, contact Mike Lee at michaellee7@att.net.
The Hardin-Simmons Cowboys swept the American Southwest Conference Player of the Week honors in football this week — and all three selections were former Big Country Preps athletes.
During HSU’s 58-0 win over the University of Fort Lauderdale last Saturday, Cowboys quarterback Ty Thompson, a sophomore from Graham, passed for 183 yards and three touchdowns. He was named the ASC Offensive Player of the Week after completing scoring passes of 40 yards and 5 yards to Jairdyn Anderson and 15 yards to Harison Brockway, who is also from Graham.
Thompson’s three touchdown passes came in the first quarter and staked HSU to a 21-0 first-quarter lead.
Thompson also rushed for 101 yards on eight carries, including a 51-yard touchdown run.
Through three official games this season, Thompson leads the Cowboys in rushing with 221 yards and three TDs. He also leads the team in passing with 694 yards and six TDs against one interception.
AREA VOLLEYBALL STATISTICAL LEADERS (Through Oct. 7)
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Wednesday at 7 p.m. throughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches. If your team is missing, please give your coach a friendly reminder to check their email and submit their stats each week by 2 p.m. on Wednesdays.
GAME STORY: Cooper battles but falls in four to WF Legacy to close out first half of district play
The Cooper volleyball team closed out the first half of District 4-5A play with a 25-13, 21-25, 25-15, 25-21 loss to Wichita Falls Legacy on Tuesday, but second-year coach Kandice Williams left the Senior Night match at Cougar Gym encouraged by the fight her team displayed.
While an inability to stop extended runs eventually proved their undoing, the Lady Cougars battled through a slow start and bouts of adversity throughout the match to give themselves a chance to force a fifth set before ultimately falling in four.
The loss left CHS at 11-21 overall and 0-4 in district — one match behind Legacy (20-18, 1-3) for the fourth and final playoff spot at the midway point of league play. But Williams saw signs for hope as her team looks ahead to its final four regular-season matches.
GAME STORY: Talented youth on full display as Jim Ned outlasts Clyde in five-set thriller
CLYDE — There’s not been anything normal when the Jim Ned and Clyde volleyball teams have met on the court this season.
In their first meeting on Sept. 12, the match was held in Tuscola after a water main break in Clyde left the campus without water, resulting in a dominant sweep for the Lady Indians.
Tuesday’s rematch came less than a week after Clyde coach Courtney Freeman had an emergency surgery, and the veteran coach was still dealing with a lot of pain as she saw her squad push the 20th-ranked Lady Indians to the brink before Jim Ned pulled off a 25-19, 16-25, 25-17, 20-25, 15-12 win at Bulldog Gym.
SIX-MAN REWIND: Newcastle-Jayton, Knox City-Roby games yield thrilling finishes to headline Week 6 slate
In six-man football, where the slightest speed advantage can turn high-profile matchups into lopsided results, you never quite know what to expect week to week. So when the games you’re looking forward to most are competitive for four quarters, it’s a real treat.
Such was the case in Week 6, which saw much anticipated matchups between Newcastle and Jayton and Knox City and Roby come down to the wire to headline another exciting week of area action.
Without further ado, let’s dive into those games and more in this week’s “Six-Man Rewind” column. And when you’re done reading, be sure to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Roby’s Weatherly takes this week’s award
Even in an otherwise “quiet” week, six-man players find a way to make a lot of noise.
With many of our teams enjoying an open week prior to district play, Knox City and Roby got into a knock-down drag-out six-man game, with the Greyhounds winning 86-80.
So great was this game, that our Big Country Preps Player of the Week emerged from the losing side of this matchup, with Roby quarterback Eli Weatherly taking our Player of the Week award for the Week ending Oct. 3
WEEK 7 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we offer fans the chance to pick the winners of all games involving our local and area football teams. The results of these weekly polls, which will close at 5 p.m. each Thursday, will be included in our weekly Pick ‘Em Panel.
Here are the games for Week 7:
Continue reading “WEEK 7 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
PHOTO GALLERY: Newcastle-Jayton football (93 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Newcastle-Jayton football (93 images)”
DISTRICT 6-2A DII WEEK 6 REPORT: Haskell, Petrolia, Seymour all victorious
Haskell 60, Electra 6 — Haskell had its best defensive performance of the year and rushed for 266 yards as a team to dump Electra.
Haskell raced out to a 52-0 lead in the first half before putting things into cruise control.
Haegan Pinkerton topped the stat sheet with 121 yards passing and four TDs as the Indians improved to 3-2 and 1-0.
Electra fell to 0-5 and 0-2.
DISTRICT 7-2A DII WEEK 6 REPORT: Goldthwaite, Stamford, Albany all notch district wins
Goldthwaite 61, Miles 0 — The Eagles (6-0, 2-0) continued to roll with 473 yards in balanced total offense, with 232 yards rushing and 241 passing.
Hayes Greenway threw four TD passes and Landry Sanderson rushed for 126 yards and two scores to lead Goldthwaite.
Miles slipped to 2-4 and 0-2.
DISTRICT 3-3A DII WEEK 6 REPORT: Stanton shut out by Post, Alpine routs Van Horn as rest of league rests
Post 37, Stanton 0 — The Buffaloes ran for 252 yards on just 36 attempts, but an interception and a pair of lost fumbles proved costly in a shutout loss to the Antelopes.
Leading just 3-0 after a quarter, Post outscored Stanton 20-0 in the second period to take control by halftime and never looked back after that.
Merkel (3-2) — The Badgers were idle Friday night. 
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 6 REPORT: Brady can’t keep pace with Llano; rest of district has week off
Llano 45, Brady 13 — Luke Davis passed for 200 yards and three touchdowns while adding 33 yards rushing on five carries to fuel the Yellowjackets to a comfortable win over the Bulldogs.
Cole Landers ran for 92 yards and a touchdown and Cash Lynch received for 94 yards and a score as Llano increased a 24-13 halftime lead to 38-13 by the end of the third quarter.
DISTRICT 5-4A DII WEEK 6 REPORT: Glen Rose, Kemp earn wins
Glen Rose 35, Midland Greenwood 17 — Judd Connally rushed for 134 yards and three scores and threw for an additional 133 yards to lead the Tigers to a solid road win.
Rylan Burch led the Tigers defensive effort with 13 total tackles (two for loss).
Glen Rose improved to 4-2 with the win; Greenwood fell to 3-3.
DISTRICT 3-3A DI WEEK 6 REPORT: Midland Christian snaps Wall’s winning streak; Early dominates Bowie
Midland Christian 34, Wall 26 — A rocky second quarter put the Hawks in a 20-12 halftime hole they could never climb out of in suffering their first loss since the 2024 playoffs.
Trailing 9-7 after a quarter, the Mustangs outscored WHS 13-3 in the second to take an eight-point lead that they would stretch to 34-19 in the fourth quarter on their way to snapping a 21-game win streak for the Hawks.
Anson (3-2) — The Tigers were idle on Friday night.
DISTRICT 8-2A DII WEEK 6 REPORT: Santo dominant by ground, air in blowout win over Frost; Crawford tops Mart
Santo 52, Frost 3 — Rylan Griffith went 8-of-9 passing for 223 yards and a touchdown, while Dillan Branham and Colt Bridges both ran for two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a blowout win over the Polar Bears.
Branham ran for 88 yards on three attempts and Bridges ran for 78 on seven carries to lead a Santo rushing attack that piled up 338 yards as the Wildcats outgained Frost by a 561-111 margin.
Sweetwater (3-2) — The Mustangs were idle on Friday night.
DISTRICT 4-2A DI WEEK 6 REPORT: Forsan routs Reagan County; C-City drops heartbreaker to Ozona
Forsan 48, Reagan County 16 — Ashton Ellis ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns to fuel the unbeaten Buffaloes to a lopsided win over the Owls.
Owen Bishop and Coy Evans combined for 125 yards and three touchdowns passing for Forsan, which was led in receiving by Evans (3-58, 2 TDs) and Korbett Worden (1-48, 1 TD).
DISTRICT 4-4A DII WEEK 6 REPORT: Brock blasts Burkburnett in league opener; everyone else takes week off
Brock 72, Burkburnett 7 — Bryer McDonald ran for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Holt Frazier passed for 127 yards and two scores to lead the Eagles to a blowout win over the Bulldogs in the district opener for both teams.
Frazier went 7 for 8 through the air, hitting Casen Christenson four times for 80 yards and a TD. Christenson also threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Asher Allen (2-73 receiving) as the Eagles improved to 4-1 on the year and 1-0.
Brownwood (2-3) — The Lions were idle Friday night. 
Stephenville (5-0) — The top-ranked Yellow Jackets were idle Friday night. 
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Seymour uses big second half to top Munday
SEYMOUR — The Munday Moguls may have arrived at Fair Park Stadium with a 5-0 record, but they left with the understanding that there are only so many mistakes that they can make before someone puts a blemish on their résumé.
That occurred in Friday’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, during which Seymour pounded out 342 yards rushing and took advantage of two key Munday turnovers, two bad snaps and several miss-timed penalties to hand the Moguls a 49-26 loss.
Jaxton Carrington rushed for 66 yards and three scores and Demarcus Smith and James Betts combined for 205 yards rushing to lead Seymour (4-2, 2-0 District 6-2A DII) which blew open a 21-20 game with 28 straight points in the second half.
Munday (5-1, 1-1) was led by Carson Willison with 121 yards rushing and 136 passing.
GAME STORY: Abilene High dominates Amarillo Caprock on way to 42-0 homecoming win
The Abilene High offense wasn’t always efficient Friday night, but the Eagles made up for that with explosiveness, recording five touchdowns of at least 23 yards, including three of 48 yards or more, in a 42-0 win over Amarillo Caprock in front of a homecoming crowd at Shotwell Stadium.
AHS only ran for 103 yards on 38 attempts — good for a 2.7 yards-per-carry average — but quarterback Tristan Beal threw for 309 yards on just 14 completions, tossing four touchdown passes around a scoring run to complete a career night against the Longhorns.
And while the Abilene High offense was piling up points, scoring three touchdowns in each half, the Eagles defense was virtually flawless, limiting Caprock to just 66 total yards before a nine-play, 53-yard drive against against AHS reserves finally put the Longhorns over the century mark on the game’s final possession.
Together, the two units combined to help Abilene High (3-2 overall) to a 2-0 start in District 2-5A Division I play with a road trip to Frenship Memorial slated for next week.
GAME STORY: Newcastle stuns Jayton with walk-off defensive touchdown
JAYTON — The Jayton football team entered Friday night’s game against Newcastle with a 34-game winning streak and having won 46 of its previous 47 games overall.
Facing a third-and-goal with 12 seconds to play in a tie game, the second-ranked Jaybirds were poised to extend their streak when Newcastle’s Keegen Voyles intercepted a pass by Lorenzo Vargas and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to give the Bobcats a 58-52 walk-off victory at Jaybird Stadium.
It was a play that left the home crowd so quiet you could hear a pin drop while the visiting sideline and stands were exploding with jubilation.
GAME STORY: Ybarra’s 231 yards, four forced turnovers mark Early’s 45-20 win over Bowie
EARLY — The Early Longhorns football players and head coach talked a lot about toughness after Friday night’s game. The Longhorns showed toughness in the second half of their 45-20 win over the Bowie Jackrabbits in a nondistrict meeting of Class 3A Division I teams.
Isaac Ybarra rushed for 231 yards and three touchdowns to lead Early, while quarterback Caden Wilson added 58 yards and two TDs rushing along with one scoring pass.
The Longhorns (5-1) dominated the second half, outscoring the Jackrabbits (4-2) by a 24-6 margin. Early’s defense also forced Bowie into four turnovers — three interceptions and one fumble — in seven second-half possessions.
Early converted the four turnovers into 17 points as the Longhorns wrestled control of a game in which they trailed 14-7 late in the second quarter.
GAME REPORT: Palo Duro rides fast start, dominant defense to 35-7 win over Cooper in key district matchup
Photos by Joe Garcia, PressPassSports.com
AMARILLO — Traveling to Dick Bivins Stadium with the District 2-5A Division II lead on the line, the Cooper football team found sledding tough against the defending district champion Palo Duro Dons on Thursday.
Finishing the game with just 92 yards of total offense, the Cougars fell behind 14-0 by the five-minute mark of the first quarter and saw the deficit balloon to 35 points in the second quarter before scoring just before halftime to narrow the gap to 35-7 — a score that would stand the rest of the way.
Led by Raymond Johnson, who rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns, the Dons ran for 337 of their 419 total yards, improving to 5-1 on the year and 2-0 in league play with the dominant victory.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 6)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Unbeaten Munday travels to Seymour
LAST WEEK: 54-13, .805
SEASON TOTAL: 267-82, .765
With the bulk of our area teams enjoying a mid-season open date prior to the opening of district play, our selection of games has been cut drastically this week.
Nonetheless, we have several games worth keeping an eye on, beginning with our Game of the Week: Munday at Seymour.
We haven’t seen the Moguls in a Game of the Week in several years and for Seymour, a BCP newcomer, this is the first time we’ve had the Panthers in our spotlight game as part of our coverage area.
Both clubs are explosive, so personally, I’m expecting a shootout.
Should be fun. We’ll see you on the road (weather permitting, of course).
VIDEO: Cooper coach Scott Stewart previews big district road matchup with Palo Duro
COOPER (3-2, 1-0) AT AMARILLO PALO DURO (4-1, 1-0)
7 p.m. Thursday, Dick Bivins Stadium, Amarillo
AREA VOLLEYBALL STATISTICAL LEADERS (Through Sept. 30)
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Wednesday at 7 p.m. throughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches. If your team is missing, please give your coach a friendly reminder to check their email and submit their stats each week by 2 p.m. on Wednesdays.